This invention relates to lawn and garden tractors or riding mowers and, more particularly, to an improved debris or grass collecting attachment therefor.
Grass bagging attachments for lawn mowers of the walk-behind rotary type are well known. They generally comprise a bag mounted on the discharge chute and extending to the side. Although used on riding mowers, a side extending bagging attachment is detrimental because it increases the operating width of the machine and also, if it has a large capacity, can result in balance problems for the mower. Accordingly, grass bagging attachments have more recently appeared wherein the receptacle is mounted at the back of the garden tractor or riding mower and a conduit extends from the mower discharge outlet to the receptacle. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Jackson U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,977. An older patent showing a conduit-connected receptacle mounted on top of a walk-behind mower is shown in Blume U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,666, though such an attachment could not be utilized on a riding mower since it would interfere with the operator's area.
One problem which occurs in substantially all attachments of this nature is the tendency to plug up in heavier or wet grasses or if the receptacle becomes overfilled. Design parameters which effect plugging include the discharge velocity of the material, the length of the conduit, the height of the inlet to the receptacle, and the amount of sharp turns in the conduit. Given thick or heavy enough material, however, any machine will plug up since plugging is generally due to an insufficient amount of energy imparted to the grass clippings from the mower blade to propel them to the receptacle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention described herein to provide a debris collecting attachment for a riding mower or lawn tractor having conduit means between the mower discharge outlet and receptacle which are easily disassembled to permit the clearing of blockages therein.
It is further an object of the invention to provide a grass bagging attachment wherein the debris is introduced into the side of the receptacle thereby requiring less propelling power than in a top entry system.
Another consideration in the design of a debris collector is the convenience of the operator in removing the debris. The prior art illustrates a disposable plastic bag with some sort of screen means to permit the air to leave the bag while retaining the clippings. Examples of this on walk-behind mowers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,199,277 to Moody, 3,624,989 to Gatheridge, 3,722,192 to Corbert, and 3,777,461 to Giraud. The first three of these patents disclose vertically oriented bags wherein the material enters through the top. This increases the height to which the material must be elevated thereby increasing the chances of plugging especially when a long conduit is needed as with a riding mower. In Giraud, the bag is attached by an elastic band to a screen plate and extends horizontally rearwardly and to the side. However, the bag is unsupported except by a frame which extends within the bag. This lack of support could cause the bag to become ripped or torn and withdrawing the frame from the bag could cause grass spillage. Also as indicated above, the sideward mounting would appear to be detrimental to maintaining lateral stability of the mower.
Accordingly, it is a further object of one embodiment of the invention to provide a debris collecting attachment wherein the receptacle includes a horizontally oriented air impervious bag having a crop inlet and a frame defining an opening disposed about the inlet, the bag being enclosed within and supported by a porous outer shell member.
It is a further object of said embodiment to dispose said frame within the porous outer shell whereby said shell may be utilized to collect debris without said bag therewithin.